Topic: Unexpected 301 Permanent Redirects for Prefix-Based Routes in Next.js 14.2.5

[KamaniBhavin]

Description:

In a Next.js 14.2.5 application, I encountered an issue where defining two similarly prefixed routes, /register-kit and /register-store, resulted in unexpected 301 permanent redirects to /register. The /register route did not exist, but Next.js still redirected requests to it.

Here’s a detailed explanation of the problem, my observations, and how I eventually resolved it by restructuring the routes.

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Steps to Reproduce

1. Setup File-Based Routing:
   In the app directory, define the following two routes:

   app/register-kit/page.tsx
   app/register-store/page.tsx
   

2. Navigate to Routes:
   Open the browser and try accessing /register-kit or /register-store.

3. Observe the Redirection:
   Both /register-kit and /register-store redirected to /register, even though /register does not exist in the file system.

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Observed Behavior

• A 301 Permanent Redirect occurred for both /register-kit and /register-store, leading to /register.
• The browser's developer tools showed the following response headers:

  x-edge-runtime: 1
  x-matched-path: /register
  x-powered-by: Next.js
  

  This indicated that Next.js was incorrectly resolving the path to /register.

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Workaround

To resolve the issue, I changed the route structure to use nested paths, as follows:

app/register/kit/page.tsx
app/register/store/page.tsx

After making this change:

• /register/kit and /register/store worked correctly.
• There were no more 301 permanent redirects, and the correct pages were served.

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Expected Behavior

1. Routes like /register-kit and /register-store should work independently without requiring a nested structure.
2. If there is a conflict or ambiguity in the routing logic, Next.js should:
   • Provide clear warnings or logs during next dev or next build.
   • Avoid returning a 301 redirect to a non-existent route (/register in this case).

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Feedback and Questions

1. Is this Expected Behavior?

   • Should similarly prefixed routes like /register-kit and /register-store require a nested structure to avoid conflicts?

2. Improved Debugging Tools

   • Could Next.js provide clearer warnings or error messages during next dev or next build for such routing conflicts?
   • For example, when Next.js resolves /register-kit to /register, a warning could indicate a potential conflict or ambiguity.

3. Routing Resolution Enhancements

   • Are there plans to make routing resolution more robust, especially for prefix-based routes that could lead to implicit conflicts?

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Environment

• Next.js Version: 14.2.5
• Node.js Version: 18.20

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Key Observations:

• The issue is entirely resolved when switching to a nested structure (/register/kit and /register/store).
• However, the 301 permanent redirect behavior when /register-kit and /register-store are used independently seems unexpected and counterintuitive.

Would love to hear from others if they’ve faced similar issues and how they addressed them. Additionally, any insights or guidance from the Next.js maintainers on whether this is a known limitation or a bug would be greatly appreciated!

[denis23x]

Hi @KamaniBhavin

I tried to reproduce your problem, and there is no problem in my case 🤷‍♂️

Probably you are using custom middleware or external packages which affecting your routing.

[KamaniBhavin]

@denis23x Thanks for taking the time to look into this! I'm still a bit puzzled about what caused the issue. Initially, I didn't think it was a bug, which is why I started a discussion about it. As far as I know, I do have middleware in place, but even when I bypassed it, the issue persisted. It’s possible that some other package could be interfering.

The strangest part is that everything worked fine in my local and DEV environments, but as soon as it was deployed to PROD, things got buggy.

Anyway, I really appreciate you giving it a shot and offering your input. I'm pretty confident this isn't a core problem. Cheers to the Next.js developers community for being so active and supportive! 🚀